COOPERATION AMONG COOPERATIVES

On September 26th, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida and progressed north along the Appalachian Mountains and then turned back into Southern Ohio. We fared well from major outages, but many utilities in South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee were hit with tremendous amounts of rain in the mountains causing significant flooding and damage. The Energy Cooperative (TEC) sent two crews to Broad River Electric Cooperative in South Carolina and one crew to Buckeye Electric in Southern Ohio. Once Buckeye Electric wrapped up their restoration, that crew headed to North Carolina to assist Blue Ridge Energy. The Broad River Electric crews wrapped up and headed to French Broad Electric in Bakersfield, North Carolina.

"We’re proud to step up and do our part when the call comes. Being down in the Carolinas, working alongside others to get power back on, was a tough but rewarding experience. In times like these, it’s about getting the job done and helping people get back to some sense of normal. It’s an honor to be there for those who need it, and we take a lot of pride in the work we do."

— Marcus Gause, Electric Crew Chief